1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard-type percussion instrument having sounding members each adapted to generate a musical tone when struck.
2. Description of the Related Art
A keyboard-type tone plate percussion instrument has been known, which includes a plurality of keys, hammer actions corresponding to respective ones of the keys, tone plates (sounding members) each adapted to be struck by a corresponding hammer action, and resonance boxes disposed above the tone plates and causing musical tones generated by tone plates to resonate therein (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 05-081895). When any of the keys is depressed by a player, a corresponding hammer action strikes a corresponding tone plate, whereby the tone plate vibrates to generate a musical tone of a tone pitch proper to the tone plate.
Some tone plate percussion instruments of this type each have an upper part thereof in which the tone plates, the hammer actions and one of the resonance boxes corresponding to the white keys are disposed, and a lower part thereof in which the tone plates, the hammer actions and another resonance box corresponding to the black keys are disposed. When any of the upper tone plates corresponding to the white keys is struck, a musical tone generated by the struck tone plate resonates in the corresponding upper resonance box and is then output downward therefrom. Since the lower resonance box, tone plates and hammer actions corresponding to the black keys are disposed below the struck upper tone plate, etc., the musical tone output downward from the upper resonance box corresponding to the white keys collides with some of the lower resonance box, tone plates and hammer actions, and is thus difficult to be output outside the instrument with high quality.